Member News

European Cyclists' Federation launches first comprehensive European cycling map

Brussels, Belgium - 24 April 2017: The European Cyclists' Federation is launching the first comprehensive map for cycling data in Europe. ECF gives the first-ever overview on cycling statistics for the 28 EU countries and their capitals. Starting with data on modal share, bike share and cycling tourism, the map will soon be open for public input and will call upon decision-makers to improve data collection for cycling at all levels of governance.

"There is one issue that annoys cycling researchers, advocates and decision-makers alike: the lack of adequate cycling data. For other transport modes, like car transport or public transport, such databases exist; for cycling, data collection is today mostly done at the local level, with little or no harmonisation of collection methods", said Holger Haubold, ECF Fiscal Policy Officer. "A reliable database of cycling data is indispensable for the development of cycling".

With the launch of the map, ECF wants to show that a lot still needs to be done on the field of data collection for cycling. International and especially European institutions need to harmonise their data collection systems and facilitate a better exchange of good practices. This is why the ECF calls for an EU Cycling Strategy. With the recent publication of a supporting study on data collection and analysis of active modes use and infrastructure in Europe, the European Commission has made a good first step; now it is up to the EU institutions, the Member States, and regional and local authorities to follow up on the recommendations and intensify their efforts in order to collect better data on cycling.

The map presents available data on cycling in the following areas:

Cycling modal share

Road safety

Bike market

Cycle tourism

Public bike systems/Bike-share

Cycling advocacy

Cycling counting

The data is presented at the national, regional, and local level; for the launch, data is provided for the 28 Member States of the EU and their capitals. The map also indicates whether there is enough data available for a certain entity or not, highlighting the current gaps in cycling data collection. It is also possible for stakeholders to send in missing data, provided there is a source mentioned.

About the European Cyclists' Federation

With over 80 members across more than 40 countries, the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) unites cyclists’ associations from across the globe, giving them a voice on the international level. Our aim is to get more people cycling more often by influencing policy in favour of cycling.

Encouraging more people to cycle more often’ across the EU has the potential to unlock socio-economic benefits worth billions of Euros. Stakeholders from diverse backgrounds have therefore joined forces to develop a blueprint for an EU Cycling Strategy which will recommend objectives and define actions falling within EU competence. Published at the Velo-city 2017 conference in June it will then be submitted to the European Commission as a new inspiration for action.